What Harvard Business School Is Looking For: The Habit Of Leadership

Thank you, Harvard Business School. That’s what applicants should think when they visit the program’s website and find “Habit of leadership” on its “Who are we looking for?” admissions page.

It’s common knowledge that HBS values leadership, but with this phrase, the adcom succinctly expresses how they view leadership – dynamic, deep, intrinsic, long-term. It’s something you possess and bring to your experiences, not something that describes your involvement in isolated situations (i.e., the proverbial “leadership experience”). Not just HBS applicants, but all b-school applicants can benefit from reflecting on the phrase – and then determining how they embody it in their actions.

What Is Habit?

There are a gazillion excellent articles and treatises on the meaning of leadership. Many if not most of them are valid – it’s a concept that’s inherently contextual. I’m focusing on the other word. The key to this message is habit.

Habit is…

• ACTIVE

A habit is something that is done. It’s not something bestowed upon you (like the title Team Lead) and it’s not something ascended to (advanced to Project Manager). Whether good or bad, habits are something you do.

• REFLEXIVE

A habit is a part of you. You may think about it objectively in your mind, but it’s also part of your behavior. Yet that doesn’t automatically mean it’s innate – a habit may be learned (you probably know someone who trained herself to become more patient or more decisive or less defensive). Therefore, if you aren’t a “born leader,” you can still develop the habit of leadership.

• KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

You exercise the habit of leadership in school, in your family, with friends, at work, in your community. It means that when something needs doing or when you perceive an opportunity for positive impact, you shift into gear to make it happen – even if it’s hard, even if it’s not your designated role, even if you’re not sure exactly how you’ll do it. Simply, it’s what you do.

• SOMETIMES INVISIBLE

Because it’s action oriented and not title or ego oriented, the habit of leadership, ironically, may sometimes seem invisible, a hidden force. Routine and regular. Example: your friends, tired after a long day of canoeing on the Delaware River, squabble about where to go for dinner. You gently draw the group’s focus to the two most feasible options, proposed by two different members of the group; everyone starts to feel enthusiastic again. They may not consciously recognize your leadership; in fact, the person who proposed the “winning” idea might feel like the leader! (More irony: real leadership often allows others to feel like the top dog.) Of course, the opposite is also true sometimes: your leadership habit may require you to visibly assert an opposing vision or emphatically convince people to join you in taking a risk.

While this quality is something HBS explicitly seeks, any b-school adcom will value it – after all, someone with “leadership experience” isn’t necessarily a leader fundamentally, but someone with the “habit of leadership” is. All b-schools want leaders.

How to Demonstrate Your Habit of Leadership

Having the habit of leadership is great, but it’s only helpful to in your Harvard MBA application if you express it effectively. That means – you’ve heard it from us ad infinitum – use examples and anecdotes. Look for opportunities to portray your habit of leadership, even in essays on other topics. Also, try to bring it out in your resume and your interviews. Ask your recommenders to highlight it. It can only enhance your application and your candidacy.